


Pull Me Up

by tarradiddle



Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Angst, Character Study, F/M, Gen, Stream of Consciousness, Vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-16
Updated: 2012-11-16
Packaged: 2017-11-18 19:12:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/564328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tarradiddle/pseuds/tarradiddle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony’s hurt and lost in his own head until Steve's suddenly there.</p>
<p>Based on the trailer for Iron Man 3. (Spoilers for that)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pull Me Up

Motion.  
  
Echoing shifting sounds.  
  
 _Shit!_ Tony came back mostly to himself with a start. _What happened?_ In the suit, HUD flickery... He looked through the system alerts and twitched major muscles to test them. Low power, semi functional. _Hydraulics problematic but I should be able to stand. Left repulsor gauntlet still online, right one out. Visuals down._  
  
He reached up and pried open the faceplate enough to see.  
  
 _Shit._ He was wedged between some rocks and some debris, barely floating in the surf in the destruction of his home. It was coming back in flashes: explosions, water, struggling for the surface when he blacked out.... Pepper. _Fuck._  
  
Pushing her out of the house, toward solid ground, even as he called the suit... _Pepper_. He looked up the cliff. Enough power left to fly? _Have to try._  
  
He pushed out from the cliff face with the left gauntlet and kicked on the boots before the water could pull him down again. He managed a wobbly parabola upwards, and landed hard among the rubble, seeing spots. _Ah, shit. Pepper. Focus. Don’t black out._  
  
Lights. Sirens. Not important. He got up heavily and moved towards where he’d last seen her. No-one there. He began to search. _Pepper. Come on. Pepper, Pepper, Pepper._  
  
Voices. Not important. Searching. Movement. Not Pepper. Paramedics. _Shouldn’t start with ‘p’. Not right._  
  
Hands, reaching for him. He spun, leveling the one working repulsor at the startled medical team. That woman’s mouth was moving. He focused on her. “Mr. Stark! Please let us help you!” She might have been saying it for a while.”Can you tell us what happened?” He tried to tell her he couldn’t stop yet, he had to find Pepper, but nothing came out of his mouth. He shook his head, and turned away from them. Voices followed him, but they didn’t try to touch him again.  
  
Still looking, trying to shift a big chunk of ceiling to see under it. Voices raised again, more vehicles. “Iron Man!” Man’s voice. Not important, although he hesitated, some part of his brain wanted to respond. Hands on the ceiling slab, helping him shift it. Tony looked up. A familiar face. “Who are you looking for?”  
  
A question he could answer. “Pepper.” His voice came out scratchy and strained.  
  
“Pepper was here, with you? Anyone else?”  
  
He blinked. Who else could there be?  
  
“Hey, focus on me a second. Take a deep breath.” He obeyed reflexively. “Tony. You with me?”  
  
His vision steadied. “Yeah.” Another breath, as the world beyond the idea of Pepper faded back into existence. “Yeah, Cap, I’m here.”  
  
“Okay.” Steve was in civilian dress, and he reached out a hand to catch Tony’s armoured shoulder. “Listen up. There were some witnesses, kids on the highway, got shot at.” He gestured at a knot of police and paramedics a ways off. “The helicopter that fired those.. rockets or whatever, it landed here briefly after the attack.” He looked over the scene. “If Pepper was here and you haven’t found her yet, then, then they might have taken her.”  
  
Tony lurched, but Steve’s grip on his shoulder held him steady.  
  
 _Okay, step one, salvage. Enough repair to go after her._ “Okay, okay. I can, I’ll... JARVIS, are you back with me?”  
  
The audio pickups fritzed. “Barely, sir. Satellite link-up is spotty.”  
  
“Okay, I’m going to need repair facilities. Who..” _Pepper would know.._ “is in charge of the local plant this week?”  
  
“Checking.”  
  
Steve was still standing there, waiting for something. Tony focused on him with some difficulty. “Why are you here?”  
  
Steve paused, clearly editing his first response. “I was actually going to swing by, so I wasn’t far when the explosions started.”  
  
“That...” _That wasn’t what I meant._ “Well, I guess it’s a day for awkward houseguests.” See, better. Speech centers up and running.  
  
Steve rolled his eyes and gave him a gentle shake. “Come on, you need a ride to wherever you’re going to get fixed up.”  
  
“What?” _Why?_ “Wait, are you still on that silly bike? I somehow don’t think...” he gestured to his armoured self.  
  
Steve shot him a mischievous glance. “We’ll commandeer something.”  
  
“Comman- Who are you and what did you do with Steve Rogers?”  
  
“Come on, Tony. Let’s go.”  
  
“Okay, but just because the cops ask fewer questions when I stand next to you. I think it’s some sort of patriotic forcefield.” _Damn, he’ll try to come along on the rescue, too. I don’t need... ugh. old habits. Pepper. Focus._  
  
JARVIS spoke up. “I have informed the LA SI development offices that you are on route and require workspace. Is anyone accompanying you, sir?”  
  
“Aw, JARVIS, are you worried? Do I sound concussed? Don’t answer that. I've got a babysitter. Tell security to expect Captain Rogers, too. That’ll put a shine on their day, make up for me barging in.”  
  
The Captain in question looked surprised at his name. _Shit_. “Unless you've got plans,” Tony offered in as light a tone as he could manage.  
  
“No,” Steve said gently. “Let’s get you flying again, and then let’s find Pepper.”  
  
 _Pepper, yes. Help, help is okay._ “Yeah, sounds good.” He let Steve lead him towards the vehicles.


End file.
